1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of integrated circuit fabrication, specifically to the formation of transistors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since the introduction of the digital computer, electronic storage devices have been a vital resource for the retention of data. Conventional semiconductor electronic storage devices, such as Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), typically incorporate capacitor and transistor structures in which the capacitors temporarily store data based on the charged state of the capacitor structure. In general, this type of semiconductor Random Access Memory (RAM) often requires densely packed capacitor structures that are easily accessible for electrical interconnection.
In order to increase efficiency of memory devices, there is an effort to create smaller memory cells. DRAM memory cells can shrink by decreasing the minimum feature size (F) through new and advanced lithography and etching techniques. Memory cells can also be decreased by designing a memory cell that requires less chip real estate in terms of minimum feature size. For example, many DRAM devices on the market today have a memory cell size of 8F2 or greater. However, DRAM devices can be made even smaller, such as 6F2 or 4F2. An example of a 6F2 device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,734,482, issued to Tran, et al, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
One method of designing smaller memory cells is to use vertical transistors, particularly vertical surrounding gate transistors (VSGT). VSGTs are typically metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFET) and can be designed in several different manners. In many embodiments of VSGTs, an upper active region of the device can be electrically separated from substrate by the lower source/drain region and/or by a dielectric layer. Such an electrically separated active region is known as a “floating body.” The floating body can charge up and cause a transient bipolar current. This current can cause memory failures through cell capacitor discharge. Without being limited by theory, one explanation is that a transient hole current is caused by carriers generated during the high state. It is therefore desirable to minimize the floating body effect for small memory cells.